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Purpleheart and maple
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Author:  Andy Bounsall [ Mon May 21, 2018 8:00 am ]
Post subject:  Purpleheart and maple
This is one of two guitars that I've been working on over the winter and the first of the two to be completed. Body is purpleheart and curly maple. Sitka spruce top. Curly maple neck and bindings. Ebony fingerboard and bridge. Scale length is 24.75".

The customer is a young woman who loves purple, hence the choice of woods. I did attempt to impart a bit of a feminine look with the pink and purple purfling as well as the MOP-like tuner buttons. She has two cats that she adores so I added a couple of cat paws at the 12th fret.

I chronicled the construction of this guitar on my FB page. Visit Bounsall Guitarworks.

It's always a treat to string up a new guitar for the first time and hear what it sounds like. I'm happy to report that this one, surprisingly, sounds pretty much like a guitar!
Author:  Chris Ensor [ Mon May 21, 2018 8:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
Very tasteful! Good job!
Author:  sdsollod [ Mon May 21, 2018 8:32 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
Nicely done. [:Y:]
Author:  Colin North [ Mon May 21, 2018 9:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
Nice! Good to see something different being built.
Author:  Andy Bounsall [ Mon May 21, 2018 8:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
Thanks for the kind words.

In case anyone was wondering how one might gain access to the inside of the soundbox given the size and placement of the sound holes...

The guitar was designed with an access hole, big enough to get a hand and forearm into, at the bottom end in the tail block. The maple square at the end of the guitar forms a plug/trap door. The guitar has a JJB surface mount pickup inside. The endpin jack is mounted to a short aluminum bar that is sized to span the hole in the tail block. The jack then feeds through a hole in the square maple plug. The nut on the jack is tightened, pulling the plug in tight. Simple and, in the end, almost invisibly covering the access hole.
Author:  bionta [ Tue May 22, 2018 8:17 am ]
Post subject: 
Clever! And very neatly executed.
Author:  Quine [ Tue May 22, 2018 11:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
What a nice combination of woods.
I've always been skeptical of purpleheart because....purple. But with that maple strip it looks really tasty
Author:  SnowManSnow [ Thu May 24, 2018 3:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
I REALLY like that combo!
What properties does Purple Heart have? Is it similar to padauk?
It’s crazy but normally you can get a great set of padauk for cheap because of the color... but it’s a great tone wood. I thought Purple Heart May be kind of the same



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Author:  Jules [ Fri May 25, 2018 7:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
Beautiful work! Nice lines. Great detail. It's easy to see a lot of thought went into the design. Overall a really gorgeous guitar!
Author:  Andy Bounsall [ Sat May 26, 2018 9:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
Thanks again for the kind words. Glad you all like this guitar.

SnowManSnow wrote:
What properties does Purple Heart have? Is it similar to padauk?

I've never used padauk so I have no idea how they compare. I can tell you that this purpleheart was not the easiest wood to work with. I found it to be quite brittle and splintery. It was quite difficult to bend, especially around the cutaway. The end result, combined with the curly maple, is lovely but I don't think I'll be in a big hurry to build another acoustic with it any time soon.
Author:  frwilliams [ Sun Jun 10, 2018 12:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Purpleheart and maple
Hey I notice you are from Ottawa. I am from Perth. I would love to drop by some time and talk shop. Love the guitar by the way.

fred williams
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